Eldersburg Weather Alert! Perfect Weather Warning!

Today's Eldersburg weather doesn't get any better. This is what Eldersburg backyards or a relaxing time at Piney Run Park are all about.

At home, there's grass to cut, gardens to grow, and cookouts to savor and enjoy the perfect sunny day. Around Eldersburg, there's yard sales, fishing at Piney Run Park, tee ball, soccer, Liberty Reservoir, a trip to Home Depot for flowers, or just relaxing with family and friends.

End of the Newspaper Era in Eldersburg

Last Sunday, the CBS Sunday Morning show had a segment about the end of the newspaper publishing era as we know it, much of it due to the explosion of Internet use. It explained the dynamics of the failing newspaper industry including use of alternative media, large drops in advertsing, and overall decline.

A few years ago, Eldersburg was served with three weekly papers all serving up their special slant of the same news, with folks asking "Does Eldersburg really need three papers?" Well, in the past year, it seems the answer has come:

• The Gazette, which was delivered weekly and owned by the Washington post, stopped delivery August 2008
• The Advocate of Eldersburg, which was delivered into all mailboxes in 21784 via mail, has been cut back to delievery to driveways, with delievery being spotty at best
• The Eldersburg Eagle, long considered Eldersburg's leading newspaper, has followed suit with the Advocate and has ceased mailbox delivery, being delivered only to driveways. Delivery to condos and apartments has been almost nonexistent, and driveway delivery hit or miss. The Eagle also recently stopped delivering its Westminster print edition.

Well, the good news is that there are still plenty of news sources for Eldersburg, mostly online. But the industry decline has indeed played out in Eldersburg as well. Let's hope that the Eagle doesn't disappear completely.

Eldersburg Dunkin Donuts

Rising from the ashes of the Tangier Crab House Restaurant, the new Dunkin Donuts on Liberty Road recently opened, with customers and traffic exceeding capacity. This past Sunday I stopped by to quickly check it out and to pick up some breakfast for the family. Big mistake. There was no parking and standing room only inside. The drive-through line coagulated into those trying to park which coalesced onto Marvin Avenue, culminating into a big ole mess. Several folks circled around the parking lot helplessly, and some finding parking, walking in to the crowd of lines, then walking right back out. I wasn't alone in sharing the Dunkin Donuts frustrations, as Roch Kubatko of the Baltimore Sun only got a few donut crumbs that still remained.

What's interesting about the robust business of Dunkin Donuts in Eldersburg is that it died an Ilyichian death almost directly across Liberty Road. Was it that the previous size was too small? Was it not on the side of the morning commute?

Either way, the new DD has good breakfast food, but the service is still a bit lacking at this point...not quite the personableness of Habib's....plus a large coffee will set you back 30 cents more. On the upside, breakfast entrees are featured all day long and they've got a cool-tasting flatbread sandwich.